The Athlete Fellowship is an educational program and community for elite athletes who want to re-ignite (or keep firing đĽ) the sense of challenge and purpose felt in their athletic career.
If you are curious about founding, investing in or working in a startup, the Athlete Fellowship is for you.
In this 6-week virtual program, you will gain the knowledge, confidence and network to supercharge your startup career.
Elite athletes make exceptional startup founders, operators and investors.
To succeed in startups you generally need these key qualities:
There is no career that matches this skillset more closely than that of an elite athlete. Without knowing it, athletes have been training for a career in startups their entire lives.
Athletes have:
Despite this incredible potential, athletes can get lost in the transition from elite-level sport to their next opportunity. Research shows that athletes find the departure from such a dynamic, high-performance environment to a slower-paced, static workplace highly demotivating. But it doesnât have to be this way!
Startups provide the perfect environment for an athlete to re-ignite (or keep firing) the sense of challenge and purpose they felt in their athletic career.
The Athlete Fellowship exists to bridge the gap between elite athletes and startups, and help you find meaning and drive in the next chapter of your career.
Our ideal Athlete Fellows are ex or current elite athletes (meaning you are/have been a professional (paid) athlete or you have represented your sport at the national level).
If you donât fit within this definition but feel the program is well suited to you, definitely still apply. We will assess applications on a case-by-case basis.
â Learn what a career in startups could look like (whether that be working in one, investing in one, or starting your own), following in the footsteps of Startmate alumni Kirk Reynoldson, Esther Keown and Cale Hooker, to name just a few.
â Receive coaching on how you can translate and leverage your skillsets so you thrive in a startup environment.
â Connect with a community of like-minded elite athletes across disciplines.
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Receive exclusive access to the entire Australian and New Zealand startup ecosystem.
The program will run from February 20 - April 6 (with a one-week break from March 13 - March 17)
âWeek 0: Welcome to the Fellowship
âThis week is all about setting up for success. Youâll leave this week with some exciting new connections and the basics for hitting the ground running and making the most out of the next 6 weeks.
âWeek 1: What are startups?
âWeâll kick off the program by beginning to explore the fascinating, exhilarating, and sometimes mysterious world that is the startup ecosystem. Youâll leave this week with a better understanding of the startup landscape and some possible pathways within it.
âWeek 2: Find your fit in the startup ecosystem
âIn the Athlete Fellowship, we challenge you to ask for more out of your personal and professional lives. Weâll kick off Week 2 by unpacking whatâs really important to you, and how a career in startups might align with your individual values and objectives. Youâll leave this week with a better understanding of what startup stage, role, industry and/or pathway might be right for you.
âWeek 3: Leverage your athlete skillset and brand
âAs an elite athlete, you have a unique brand and and incredibly valuable skillset. Athletes can bring a ton of value to startups, whether thatâs your mindset, work ethic, ability to achieve ambitious goals...donât get us started. Youâll leave this week with a better understanding of how to grow and leverage your brand as an elite athlete, and how to translate your invaluable skills and qualities into startup language.
âWeek 4: What is it like to work in a startup?
âOne pathway into the startup ecosystem is to join a startup as an Operator. Weâll kick off the second half of the program by diving into some startup roles and functions that most interest you. Weâll then give you some knowledge, tools, and confidence to take that next step.
âWeek 5: What is it like to found a startup?
âOur mission to âmake Australia and New Zealand the best place in the world to build a startupâ is at the core of what we do, so we want to help the next generation of ANZâs most ambitious founders create companies that will truly change our future. Whether you already have a startup idea, you have founder ambitions but donât know where to start, or youâre simply interested in learning more, weâre here to help you dive in.
âWeek 6: What is it like to invest in a startup?
âAnother pathway into startups is by backing the next generation of entrepreneurial talent. Investors are critical players in supercharging the startup ecosystem. In the last week of the program, weâll go into exactly how you can learn to be a great investor (including many misconceptions that may be holding you back).
The Athlete Fellowship program fee is $1,650 (incl. GST).
We appreciate that not all sports receive the same amount of financial support and we do not want this to be a factor limiting your participation in the Fellowship. This is why Startmate offers full and half scholarships to those who would find the cost prohibitive.
You can read more about our scholarships here. Please note that additional eligibility will also be assessed(!)
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Want to sign up as a group? Group discounts are available if you sign up with three or more people from your team. Email phoebe@startmate.com.au to find out more.
This 6-week program requires a time commitment of 2-3 hours per week to engage with the content and community.
All content will be delivered online and we encourage you to apply from anywhere across Australia or New Zealand.
We know that training schedules canât change, so all content is recorded for you to rewatch if you canât make the live sessions.
The application is comprised of 5-short answer questions. Selection is highly competitive, and we'll be assessing applicants on their ambition, motivation and passion for joining our community, as well as their grit and resilience.
While this is a written application, we want the process to be accessible for all. If you'd prefer an alternative format, please get in touch.